Meet the Only Republican Lawmaker Criticizing Trump’s Press Ban

(Photo Credit: Idaho 6 News on YouTube)

So far, Republican lawmakers have bit their tongues when it comes to President Donald Trump’s press ban, except for one guy: Rep. Mike Simpson (R-ID).

The veteran lawmaker is the only conservative who has publicly criticized Trump for barring CNN, Politico, and MS NOW from the White House as of Monday afternoon, with Simpson telling Punchbowl News the ban is simply “wrong.”

“Just because you don’t like what the press is reporting or the fact that they wouldn’t call it the Gulf of America or something else like that, that’s not the reason to ban the press. You should never ban the press,” Simpson said. “The press is what keeps us honest. So, I don’t like what they’re doing.”

His remarks stand out, considering most other Republicans have opted to not talk about it. Some are grumbling behind closed doors it is a “problem,” as GOP strategist Melik Abdul told CNN, and lame duck Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) kind of joked about it on Monday.

But the few others who have weighed in have defended Trump, like House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) did on ABC News on Sunday.

And Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL) — just days after ripping Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration — told CBS News on Sunday she had no problem with the ban; Trump “has his own style and that he will determine who he wants to talk to,” she said.

As for Simpson, he was elected to the House in 1998 and voted against impeaching Trump in both 2019 and 2021. He mildly criticized the Trump administration earlier this year, telling Idaho 6 News he was not a fan of ICE’s tactics. “The optics are not good,” he added.

Simpson’s comments to Punchbowl coincided with the White House expanding the press ban and yanking CNN off its scheduled TV pool assignment.

Trump defended the ban in a morning post on Truth Social, saying the free press is “something which I cherish” — but he viewed the outlets as nothing more than “FAKE NEWS” peddlers.

“It is instituting an assault on the FAKE NEWS, something that has grown like Cancer in our beloved United States of America,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “It is corrupt, purposeful, pervasive, fully coordinated, and totally out of control. It is a threat to our National Security, and must be stopped, NOW! Thank you for your attention to this matter.”

Soon after, the three outlets banded together and sued the White House over the ban. The complaint claimed the ban “brazenly discriminates based on editorial viewpoint” and has already caused “irreparable harm” to CNN, MS NOW, and Politico.

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